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DC Universe Online – hands on

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Get the lowdown on this superhuman role-playing adventure that's free-to-play on PS4.

Ever wished you could run faster than a speeding bullet? Be more powerful than a locomotive? Leap tall buildings in a single bound? In DC Universe Online for PlayStation 4, you can do all that and much more – and best of all, it's free-to-play, so it won't cost you anything to download from PlayStation Store.

Crisis on planet Earth

On the streets of Metropolis, Gotham City and throughout the DC Universe, the fight between good and evil rages more intensely than ever. Heroes including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and The Flash are locked in a battle against arch-villains such as Lex Luthor, The Joker, Circe and Black Adam, which has left both sides as battered as the city around them.

As the war reaches its climax and the last heroes are on the brink of falling, a new, even deadlier power reveals itself: Brainiac. While Earth's mightiest heroes were distracted fighting each other, Brainiac assembled an army which could – with the planet's most powerful beings dead – enslave the entire world.

In a desperate attempt to avert this crisis, Lex Luthor steals Brainiac's powerful Exobytes – tiny devices that bind to a living host, bestowing superhuman powers upon them. Luthor then travels back in time, releasing these Exobytes into Earth's atmosphere, creating hundreds of thousands of new "metahumans" – ordinary people with extraordinary powers. Will this be enough to stop Brainiac's invasion? Earth needs all the heroes it can get... and the next legend is you!

Create your own legend

Be inspired by a famous DC icon and base your character's style, powers and weapons on them, or start with a blank template and create a whole new legend.

Will you be good or evil? Will you fly, or posess super-speed? Will you fight with long-range weapons, swords and melee items or as an unarmed martial artist? Which DC character will be your mentor?

Every character choice you make will affect how you fight, the missions you're assigned and how you progress through the game, so choose carefully.

Out in the streets

The action takes place on the streets of Metropolis and Gotham City, as well as special locations that you'll access via alerts, scenarios and challenges that come your way. If you're playing as a hero, you'll be guided by Oracle, while villains take their orders from Calculator. They'll appear to ensure you get to grips with your new powers and provide all the information you'll need to begin your quests.

As you complete missions, you'll earn XP and level up, granting you new powers and abilities. You'll also earn cash from each mission that can be spent with the vendors to gain even more powerful items.

Brainiac's invasion is the driving force behind both heroes and villains' main quests, but there's plenty more to keep you occupied. Heroes and villains each have their own areas to hang out and plan their next heroic feats or criminal deeds. Heroes can access the Hall of Justice, while villains gather in the Hall of Doom; each area is packed with vendors, investigations and challenges to get involved with, plus iconic characters who may send a mission your way if you've earned enough renown points with them.

The league of legends

Away from the main maps, you can take on a number of special quests via the "On Duty" tab, known as Scenarios. Completing these will earn you XP, items and renown with other characters, which in turn opens up new missions.

Banding together in a group or forming a league with other heroes and villains is a great way to work through the missions faster, and lets you access scenarios that can only be tackled with teamwork. You can share weapons, armour and other items between your group by depositing them in a shared bank vault – ideal if you've collected a powerful item that isn't suited to your character, but could be vital to a friend.

Know your role

It's important to know your role in the game and play to your strengths – especially as you start to level up or play alongside other players. You could specialise in crowd control, keeping the enemy subdued and under control, or perhaps your character is better suited to being a "tank" – a powerful fighter able to soak up the enemy's attacks. Or you could be a healer – vital to any group as you can keep your comrades alive.

Whether you're a force for good or evil, you'll find plenty of free-to-play action to keep you busy for a long time – and with a wealth of additional content, missions and more available to purchase from PlayStation Store, your legend can echo throughout the DC Universe.